After three weeks of waiting, our skis finally turned up.  I made a quick trip to our local ski shop for the final tuning, and we were ready to go.

The traffic getting down to Chamonix was very heavy, especially coming across Switzerland.  The entire nation of Holland decided to go on vacation all at once, and every car on the road seemed to be Dutch.  They were all in an enormous hurry to get where they were going, tailgating and weaving in-and-out of traffic.  With the predictable consequences. 

I managed to avoid being rear-ended, but the two cars behind me didn’t.  Someone didn’t react fast enough, and as surely as day follows night, there was a three-car pile-up in my rear-view mirror.

Halfway to Geneva, the traffic thinned out.  By the time we got to Chamonix, the roads were almost empty – a few Brits, a few Swiss, and mostly French cars.  We checked into our apartment, run by a British couple, and settled in for the night.  We headed out to the local restaurant (also run by the British couple) and found ourselves transported back to the UK: Guinness in proper pint glasses and not a word of French to be heard from the staff or clientele.  I guess it’s all about meeting what the market demands.

Despite paper-thin walls, we slept well and were up early.  There was a little snow overnight, but the roads were largely clear.  We hit the slopes around 10am and had the mountain to ourselves, at least until 11am when the French managed to struggle out of bed and onto the slopes.  Great conditions today, with temperatures between 6-10 degrees Celsius and clear, blue skies.

They’re predicting more snow tonight, so hopefully good conditions await us tomorrow!